Luis took the seat before I could even wipe it down. “I’m not going after you sweaty cabrónes.” He grinned and positioned himself.
After Luis proved his strength on the leg press, Miguel was up next before we moved on to arms. For that, we headed to the squat racks and tried to find an empty barbell. There was only one available, so sadly we all had to take turns again.
“I’m going first,” Miguel said before any of us could say anything. I shrugged. I didn’t care who went first, as long as they didn’t break anything before it was my turn.
“No, I’m going first, ladies”, Luis said next. He was the youngest of us all at twenty-two.
I let the boys argue over turns and took a sip of my water, surveying the gym. It wasn’t too packed, which was nice, but itwas still bustling. There was a lot of eye candy as well, redheads and brunettes and blondes, especially the one with Drea.
Wait. Drea? I hadn’t seen her at the gym in a few months, and who was she with? I got my answer when the gorgeous blonde took her hat off and her long hair tumbled down.
“No fucking way,” I whispered to myself. Cara and Drea knew each other? Interesting. I’d certainly never seen Cara at this gym before. I would have noticed if I had.
I wanted to go say hi, but she was with a friend, and I knew it might not have been welcomed. She hadn’t seemed too happy to see me so far, and I knew how annoying it was when you got interrupted during your workout. So instead of going over, I decided to watch her like a creep.
She hadn’t noticed me yet, and neither had Drea. I was pretty far away enough that it could’ve taken a while for them to see me, so I used that to my advantage.
She was looking absolutely stunning in red capri leggings and a white sports bra. I had no shame in the way I stared at every inch of her exposed skin. Even from my distance between us, I remembered how soft it felt underneath my fingers.
“Vera? Earth to Vera?” I jumped when I heard Miguel’s voice through my thoughts. I had to have been staring at Cara for long enough that they noticed.
“Sorry. What?”
“What are you looking at?”
“What? Nothing?—”
“¡Mierda! Is it that blonde with the ass in red? She’s smokin’!”
I groaned and punched my brother in the arm. “Dude. Don’t talk about women like that. No wonder you’re single. I wasn’t looking at anyone. Especially not her.”
“Damn, V, chill. We’re just messin’ around. Why are you so testy? Do you know her or something?”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to be honest, but at the same time, I didn’t want to lie. Did I know her? “No, I don’t know her. And I’m not being testy. I just don’t think you should objectify women like that. She’s very attractive, yes, but we’re here to work out.” I tried to make myself believe the lie. Now that I knew she was in the same gym as me, there was no way I was getting anything done.
Thankfully, they dropped it and moved on to another machine farther away from Cara. I still hadn’t taken my eyes off her and as I was about to turn and catch up with my brothers, she turned around and her mouth opened when she saw me.
I didn’t want to go over and say hello, only to be embarrassed by getting shut down in front of Drea, but I couldn’t just ignore her. I sent her a wave with a small smile. She still just stood there until I winked, then she made a movement. She whispered something to Drea and they headed towards the locker rooms.
I sighed. Maybe one day she’d actually be happy to see me. Maybe.
Chapter Eight
CARA
“Oh my God! Did you see they started the construction on the new studios this morning? And you know who’s heading the project, don’t you?” The gleam in Eloise’s eyes was terrifying.
I frowned at her. Did she know everything? “What? How could you possibly know who’s in charge of the construction?”
She shrugged. “I pick up on things. I’ll give you a hint. Six foot something stunning butch with arms that could crush cement and a butt to bounce quarters off of.”
I groaned, remembering very well exactly how bounceable that butt was. That was not the image I needed in my head right now. I rolled my eyes instead, ignoring the feelings her words were invoking in me. “Seriously?”
“It’s Vera, Cara.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Go see for yourself.”
“I have work to do, and so do you. So get back to it, please.”
She shrugged. “Your loss.” And with that, she headed out of my office and towards her desk.
